How many years does an octopus live. How many hearts does an octopus have? The structure of the octopus

Niramin - Dec 11th, 2016

Octopuses live in almost all seas and oceans, but most often they can be found in warm seas among coral reefs. These marine inhabitants prefer to settle in shallow water, but among them there are also deep-sea species that penetrate to a depth of up to 5 thousand meters.

The octopus looks pretty original. His body resembles appearance bag is called a mantle. The mantle in front fuses with the head, on which are bulging eyes and a tiny mouth surrounded by chitinous plates that form the so-called beak. With the help of its beak, the octopus crushes food that enters the throat, where there is a kind of grater that grinds and grinds pieces of food to the state of gruel. Around the mouth are 8 long, muscular tentacles dotted with round suckers. Under the eyes is a kind of organ of movement - a siphon. With its help, water enters the mantle, and the muscle tissue of the mantle, contracting, pushes the water out. Thus, a jet water jet is created, thanks to which the octopus is able to reach speeds of up to 15 km / h. System internal organs rather complicated. However, the fact that the octopus, as a true aristocrat, deserves attention. blue blood. One more hallmark The device of this marine inhabitant is the presence of an ink bag, which contains a dye that protects this representative of the cephalopods. Interestingly, the eyes of an octopus are similar to human eyes in terms of device, although these inhabitants of the depths see each eye separately.

A feature of the octopus is its ability to change color like a chameleon. Its color depends not only on the color of the area where it hides, but also on the mood. An angry octopus blushes, and a frightened octopus turns pale.

Octopuses feed on marine life, including crabs, lobsters, mollusks, and fish. They can easily taste their relatives. Therefore, all octopuses lead a solitary lifestyle, are shy and constantly hide among reefs and underwater rocks, surrounding themselves with empty shells of mollusks, small pebbles and various garbage. In this ambush, they patiently wait for their prey, capturing it with tentacles and immobilizing it with poison.

See a selection of photos of octopuses:

Photo: Octopus tentacles, suckers.













Photo: Giant octopus.

Video: Octopus on the hunt Dangerous prey

Video: The amazing ability of octopuses to disguise

Video: Giant octopus attacked the operator / Tin

Video: Let's go fishing and catch a giant octopus

There are many various kinds mollusks that inhabit the depths of the oceans of the planet, so Interesting Facts about octopuses will help to take a fresh look at the life of cephalopods.

1. These soft-bodied as many as three hearts, each of which performs its function! If the first drives blood through the body, then the other two push it through the gills. They all beat in the same rhythm, and the number of their contractions depends on the temperature of the water.
2. Blue octopus blood. This is due to the fact that hemoglobin is not produced in the body. Instead, there is an enzyme - hemocyanin, containing copper oxides. In cold waters, blue blood provides mollusks with quick access to oxygen to tissues.

   

3. Octopuses big eyes in relation to body size. This gives them the opportunity to see the danger in time and react to it. Soft-bodied have color vision, which they can focus, and distinguish the shape of objects.

   

4. Cephalopods can disguise themselves as environment . Central nervous system in their body sends impulses to the skin cells of the octopus. The latter begin to stretch and shrink. So the animal changes color. In its normal state, its color is brown.

   

5. The octopus often releases an ink cloud towards the enemy. Dark paint misleads attackers into appearing as another being. At this time, the mollusk swims away. Such a technique is especially good when it is being pursued by a shark that relies on its sense of smell when hunting. The ink helps to disorient the predator.

   

6. In a pinch, the soft-bodied are willing to part with any of their tentacles in order to escape.. When an octopus is grabbed by a limb, it easily separates it from the body and leaves the attacker. Then the process of regeneration takes place, and the tentacle grows back.

   

7. Cephalopods have a soft and flexible body. The only hard part of the animal is its beak. The latter limits the penetration of octopuses into very narrow openings, as it simply does not fit there.

   

8. These soft-bodied have a powerful " jet engine» . They first draw water into the mantle, then sharply contract their muscles and throw jets out through the formed funnel. Such "devices" are generally rare in animals.

   

9. Octopuses are clean mollusks. Their home is free from various waste. After eating, they dump the leftovers in piles in front of the house. Experienced divers know this and, if they want to see an animal, they look for places where marine debris, consisting of shells, accumulates.

   

10. Octopuses are very interesting way fertilization. Males immerse a special tentacle, the hectocotyl, into the mantle cavity of the female, with the help of which spermatophores are transferred. The process of reproduction in the life of octopuses occurs once.

    

11. females cephalopods jealously guard the laid eggs. For a month, they do not let anyone near the masonry. Constantly being close to future offspring, octopuses stop hunting and gradually weaken. After the birth of cubs, the female often dies.

    

12. Some of the octopuses move on solid ground. They push off the soil with their tentacles and, lifting their body, drag it in the right direction. However, soft-bodied people cannot “walk” on land for a long time, because then dehydration of the body will occur.

    

13. These molluscs have developed intellect . They can be trained, correctly determine the size of objects and remember the location of things. Octopuses get used to the people who feed them, so that later they recognize them, and become completely tame.

    

14. One of the most poisonous animals on earth blue-ringed octopus living off the coast of Australia and in Indian Ocean. They are often kept in home aquariums, which is dangerous. After all, one such mollusk is capable of poisoning 25 adults. Scientists have not yet come up with an antidote for it. in an efficient way salvation in this case is a long artificial ventilation of the lungs.

    

15. Octopuses are a kind of delicacy for the Japanese.. They eat them boiled and eat them alive. Usually soft-bodied people are cut into small pieces and, while they are still twitching in convulsions, they chew mollusks with appetite.

    

Octopuses are the most famous representatives of cephalopods, having eight long tentacles- "hands" (sometimes they are called legs). "Hands" are interconnected by a thin membrane and have from one to three rows of suction cups.

There are about 2000 suckers on all eight tentacles of an adult octopus, each of which has a holding force of about 100 g, and, unlike those created by man, the octopus suckers require effort when holding, and not when sucking, that is, they are held only by muscle effort.

More than 300 species of octopuses live in all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, from shallow water to depths of 100-150m.

Octopuses have three hearts: one (main) drives blood throughout the body, and the other two - gills - push blood through the gills.

Did you know that octopuses have blue blood?

The heart stops beating when the octopus starts to swim. That is why octopuses most often move as if crawling, and do not swim quickly.

Thanks to their soft and elastic body, octopuses can penetrate holes and crevices that are much smaller than their usual body sizes, which allows them to hide in all sorts of shelters intricately.

Many zoopsychologists consider octopuses to be the smartest among all invertebrates in many respects: they can be trained, trained, have good memory distinguish geometric shapes.

The common octopus has the ability to change color to adapt to its environment. If the octopus is scared, it turns white, if angry, it turns red.

When the octopus is frightened, it releases trickles of ink - a dark liquid produced by special glands. This liquid hangs in the water in the form of shapeless translucent spots. There are speculations that these spots are meant to distract an attacker and buy the octopus time to escape.

Octopuses have a protective device - autotomy: a tentacle grabbed by an enemy can come off due to strong muscle contraction, and later this tentacle will grow back.

Some species of octopus are poisonous. For example, blue-ringed octopuses that live off the western coast Pacific Ocean are among the most poisonous animals in the world.

The female can lay up to 400 thousand eggs. She takes care of them herself, ventilates them, passing water through the so-called siphon. Tentacles she removes foreign objects and dirt. During the entire period of egg development, the female remains at the nest without food and often dies after the appearance of offspring.

The brain of an octopus is donut-shaped and is located around the esophagus.

Octopuses are able to perceive sound, including infrasound. On each "hand" there are up to ten thousand taste buds that determine the edibility or inedibility of an object.

The sizes of octopuses range from 1 centimeter (males Argonauto argo) up to 4 meters (Haliphron atlanticus).

Before the invention of scuba gear to observe life marine life in vivo knowledge about their lifestyle and behavior was rather limited. In that era, octopuses were perceived as ferocious, cunning and extremely dangerous animals. The reason for this was probably their appearance: snake-like tentacles, the gaze of large eyes, suction cups that serve (as it was mistakenly believed) to suck blood from victims.

And this is a blue-ringed octopus (Blue ringed octopus - Hapalochlaena lunulata) - it looks very small (3-5 cm), but according to scientists, it is one of the five most poisonous sea ​​creatures. Its poison is deadly to humans, not to mention the small crabs and shrimp on which it hunts. Such virtues of the octopus were popularized for the public, being beaten by directors in spy films, for example about James Bond. He bit someone on the nose.

Responsibility for the death of people at sea under unclear circumstances was often assigned to octopuses. The human imagination spawned tales of giant octopuses(octopuses), capable of not only killing a person, but also sinking a large sailing ship.

The dream of all photographers is the Octopus imitator (Mimic Octopus or Thaumoctopus mimicus), it was first scientifically described and isolated in separate view in the late nineties, just off the coast of Sulawesi. Unlike other octopuses, which increasingly imitate something stationary, this species imitates the behavior of other animals. First of all, adjusting to the shape and manner of movement, he can imitate a stingray, flounder fish, sea ​​snake and even jellyfish. He actively uses his skills in hunting and defense. Its dimensions are small - 30-50 cm.

The word "octopus" has become a metaphor for criminal organizations with extensive networks, often integrated into state bodies.

Another funny species of octopus is the short-eared or coconut octopus (Coconut Octopus or Amphioctopus marginatus), being small in size (8-10 cm), it found an ideal home for itself in the form of one or two halves of a coconut (sometimes it uses paired shell shells). It can be found sitting at the bottom and covering itself with half a coconut, or it will sit in one half and close the other half like a lid. This behavior is typical primarily for Indonesia, when there are no coconuts at the bottom, then it can burrow into the sand or hide in a mink.

A huge contribution to the "rehabilitation" of octopuses was made by Jacques Yves Cousteau.

Octopus - from ancient Greek, this name translates as "eight legs."

Octopuses are cephalopods. About 200 species of various octopuses live on earth, or rather in tropical and subtropical seas and oceans.

Octopuses are mysterious animals, they cause mixed feelings, at the same time there is a certain horror, which is replaced by admiration.

Octopuses are considered the smartest among their kind. They are able to distinguish colors, shapes, to distinguish a large form from a small one. They have a good memory, remember and recognize people they often see.

These creatures are endowed by nature amazing ability to disguise. Their capabilities are unimaginably amazing. They can take any shape, change the color and even the structure of the skin, merging with the environment that surrounds them and it doesn’t matter if it is stones, sand, corals or something else. The mimic octopus is able to take on the forms of various marine animals.

So they protect themselves from any predators. They themselves can "turn" into these predators, duplicating even their behavior.

The skin of an octopus contains cells with various pigments, which, receiving an impulse from the central nervous system, begin to change, and this is how their mysterious reincarnation occurs.

The whole body of an octopus smoothly flows from one part to another, starting with the head and ending with eight tentacles with suction cups. The body is very soft because the octopus has no bones.

Thanks to this, the octopus can penetrate into any, even the smallest, hole or crack. They can transform in a limited space, as if shrinking, while occupying a smaller volume.

The head of the octopus is large, slightly laid back. Above are large eyes with a rectangular pupil. A small mouth, located at the point of convergence of its tentacles, has jaws, and in the throat there is a grater (radula) for grinding and grinding food.

Another feature of the octopus is three hearts: one of which drives blood through the whole body, and two more through the gills.

The sizes of octopuses are different depending on the species, the smallest from 1 cm and reach up to 4 m, reach a mass of 50 kg. According to some reports, the Doflein octopus has a size of about a meter and a weight of 270 kg.

Octopuses are predators, therefore, various crustaceans, fish, and mollusks are harvested as a food source. The octopus grabs its prey with its tentacles and holds it with the help of suction cups. Poison enters the victim's wound.

The octopus prefers not to chase prey, because it is not his “horse” to swim quickly, he chooses the “ambush” method. Mimicking the environment, he waits for his prey, and then attacks with lightning speed.

On the tentacles are receptors that allow you to determine the "edible" "not edible".

For self-defense, octopuses have very unusual ways. For example, when they need to hide instantly, many species of octopuses release ink that hangs in the water in a shapeless spot. While the enemy is discouraged and does not see anything, the octopus disappears.

If the octopus still managed to grab the tentacle - here is another secret. Through a strong contraction of the muscles, the grasped tentacle breaks off for some time, continuing to move and contract.

Most octopus species mate once in their lives. The female lays eggs. For the nest, she chooses pits, holes or crevices in the rocks. Some carry bunches of eggs with them.

During the period of incubation of eggs, the female does not eat, and therefore, soon after the birth of the cubs, she dies. Toddlers are able to take care of themselves.

Octopuses are loners by nature, so they live separately from each other, but sometimes they settle next to octopuses of the same size.

In the photo: an octopus in the aquarium of the Basel Zoo in Switzerland.

Octopuses: species and their taxonomy

The octopus squad (lat. Octopoda) includes two suborders: deep-sea (Cirrina) and real (Incirrina).

The deep-sea or fin suborder unites the little-known and most interesting representatives. These animals are found only at great depths. They can swim in the bottom layers of water or live at the bottom of deep-sea basins. Distinctive feature The structure of these molluscs is the presence of fins. These are small creatures, often with a bizarre appearance. This suborder includes about 34 species, 7 genera, consists of 3 orders:

- cirrhotics (Cirroteuthidae);

- opisthoteitovye (Opisthoteuthidae);

- staurotate (Stauroteuthidae).

Giant Pacific Octopus

The suborder of real or finless is the most numerous. Representatives of various species of octopuses, this suborder are famous for their large size. But among them there are many small-sized animals. They live mainly on seabed at shallow depths, sometimes close to the shore. Only a few species of this suborder live on the bottom of the oceans at a depth of up to 8 km. This suborder contains about 180 species, 35 genera and 9 families:

- seven-legged (Alloposidae);

- amphitretids (Amphitretidae);

- argonauts (Argonautidae);

— bolitenidovye (Bolitaenidae);

- Idioctopodidae (Idioctopodidae);

- octopus (Octopodidae);

- kyphoids (Ocythoidae);

- Tremoctopodidae (Tremoctopodidae);

- glass (Vitreledonellidae).

Octopus tentacles with suction cups

Spreading

Cephalopods of this order live in almost all oceans and seas of our planet. These mollusks are especially common in tropical zones, but are also found in the cold seas of the Arctic Ocean. In our country, octopuses are found in all northern seas, with the exception of the White, as well as in the Russian seas of the Pacific Ocean. About 25 of their varieties live here.

These invertebrates live at different depths. In shallow places, relatively close to the coast, you can often meet representatives of real octopuses. They lead the so-called "bottom" way of life. Deep-sea representatives of the Octopoda order inhabit the depths of the oceans. These species of octopuses are perfectly adapted to exist on the ocean floor under the pressure of many kilometers of water.

Lifestyle and behavioral patterns

Most cephalopods of the Octopoda order live at the bottom of the seas and oceans. Some species constantly lead a planktonic lifestyle. They are able to swim in the water column like squids and walk along the bottom using their tentacles. They live at different depths, usually up to 150 m, but deep-sea octopus species live at a depth of several kilometers. At the bottom, these animals hide between stones or in underwater caves, and some even build their own shelter from stones and shells.

These are predators that feed on molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, fish, which they kill venomous bite. They hunt mainly at night. Octopuses are able to change color, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape.

The sense organs of all members of the detachment are well developed. They have good vision and a large brain. These invertebrates are different complex behavior, good memory and high intelligence. They are easily tamed and trainable. Females take care of the offspring, guarding the laid eggs.

Since ancient times, people have used cephalopods for food. The meat of many species of octopus is considered a delicacy. Therefore, in some countries they are commercially caught. In places, the number of these animals is sharply reduced due to overfishing.